Far-right political player Avi Yemini admits unlawful assault on ex-wife by throwing chopping board
Right-wing identity and “online journalism personality” Avi Yemini has admitted “flinging” a chopping board that hit his ex-wife’s head, with details of the bizarre incident aired in court.
South East
Don't miss out on the headlines from South East . Followed categories will be added to My News.
Right-wing activist and “online journalism personality” Avi Yemini has admitted he threw a chopping board that hit his former wife on her forehead.
Yemini, real first name Avraham, pleading guilty to unlawful assault and two other charges at Moorabbin Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
The chopping board smacked the woman squarely on the forehead, giving her a large lump.
His defence lawyer Deborah Mandie said the “flinging” of the board happened in a moment of anger, and the contact was incidental as he was not aiming to hit her.
As well as the unlawful assault charge Yemini pleaded guilty to using a carriage service to harass by sending abusive text messages to her, and one charge of breaching an intervention order relating to a video of a man.
Several other charges against the 33-year-old from Berwick, including recklessly causing injury, were dropped.
The court heard on March 18, 2016 Yemini was arguing with his former wife over meal preparation in their Caulfield North kitchen.
He lashed out and in a fit of pique threw the chopping board and it hit her on the head.
She didn’t receive any hospital treatment at the time and it wasn’t reported to police until several years later.
On three occasions between July 2017 and November 2018 he sent harassing text messages, which included calling her a “POS (piece of s***)” and “an actual c***”.
Ms Mandie told the court her client and the woman were in a “mutually dysfunctional and volatile” marriage and he accepted he had been “a bad husband”.
But she said he didn’t have any intention to injure her, and that the chopping board incident was an “impetuous moment”.
“He was flinging something in anger, not at his partner,” Ms Mandie said.
“It is an isolated incident across 10 years of a relationship that was not good.”
MORE: MAGISTRATE'S JAIL CALL FOR REPEAT DRUG DRIVERS
WELFARE CHEAT MUM BLAMES DYSLEXIA
CAR CLAIM SCAM A FAMILY AFFAIR
Ms Mandie said his ex-wife was not a fan of his growing political activism role, which stressed the relationship between the couple even more.
The former Israel Defence Force soldier has a large Facebook following under his page Avi Yemini Unbanned and has tens of thousands of fans on Twitter.
Considered a far-right activist, he failed in his political bid last year to become an Upper House Victorian MP.
“My client is a journalist, he’s online, he has followers,” she said.
“He is an online journalism personality.”
She said he was repentant, regretful and accepted his responsibility for his crimes.
The ex-wife came to court to read out her victim impact statement, but that was contested by the defence because it may have contained prejudicial material not relevant to these charges.
She will read out her revised statement at the next hearing.
Yemini will be sentenced on July 30.